West uses Ukraine to launch cyberwar against Russia: deputy FM

Moscow, Russia | Xinhua | The West has been using Ukraine as a launchpad to carry out cyberattacks against Russia and test new cyber warfare technologies, RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Syromolotov said that a vast majority of cyberattacks against Russia were launched from territories of the European Union, NATO member states, as well as Ukraine.

“This country (Ukraine) has turned into a foothold for the West to carry out offensive operations and test cyber developments,” Syromolotov said, adding that Russian citizens received less spam calls following the destruction of Ukrainian call centers amid Russia’s ongoing special military operation.

Syromolotov also noted that Russia has been facing an unprecedented level of cyber aggression. He said that in 2022 alone, the number of cyberattacks against Russia increased by 80 percent.

“In the context of Kiev’s actual loss of digital sovereignty, Ukraine’s ‘cyber troops’ are actually a NATO instrument,” Syromolotov said.

At the same time, Russian infrastructure has been effective in countering the vast amount of cyberattacks, Syromolotov said, adding that more than 25,000 cyberattacks targeting government resources and 1,200 attacks on critical infrastructure have been neutralized in 2022.